Angel Wings
by Lili Pie
Summary: Well, it's a KalasinKaddar story. Make of it what you will. The rating may not be right, but hey! better to be safe than sorry.


**A/N**- Well, I'm such a gosh-darn sucker that I just _had_ to write the whole Kalasin falling in love thing.  (Oh, and just so you know, I really _did mean something harsher in my first comment.  If you don't get it, you weren't meant to.)_

I really don't know where this is going, because I got the idea while reading other fanfics.  Practically no one does Kally.  They do Alanna/Jon/George.  Jon/Thayet, Buri/Raoul, Kel/Neal/Joren/Cleon (Need I go on?)  

Granted, I have run into the occasional Kalasin story, but I feel like writing this now.  And now there's another Kally story out there!  (_And no, there will be no reference to the famous fighting between Jon and Kally over the whole knighthood thing.  That's been way overdone by all my friends who have visited Tamora Pierce's website in order to figure out why Kally never became a knight.) (And yes, I use the term "friends" loosely.)  Oh, and don't kill me for the whole Kally/Kaddar thing.  It's really the most probable, you know._

Anyways, you came here to read a story, and read you shall (as long as I get reviews, I'll write).  *Looks at the story.*  Oh, my, a lot of my stories seem to start out that way.  *bats her eyelashes.*

_Angel Wings_

Kally sighed.  Her Papa's delegation had come back from Carthak, proclaiming the wonderful news to her.  His Imperial Highness, Emperor Kaddar, had asked for her hand.  Of course, her father had agreed to let her make the final decision, but it really wasn't much of one.  She had two choices:  marry Kaddar and live pretty peacefully for the rest of her life, or marry one of the stinky unmarried Princes or Kings of the Eastern Lands and be more miserable than she was now.  

As stated before, not much of a choice.  

Whereas Tortall was one of the most powerful kingdoms in the Eastern Lands, Carthak (despite its own civil problems) was much more powerful militarily and educationally.  Magically, of course, no kingdom was as great as Tortall, with its many mages, and the Dominion Jewel.  

She looked out her window at the training grounds, and decided to take a walk outside.  She loved fresh air, and when given a chance, she would never pass it up.  Plus the fact that the air would probably clear her head and give her more time to think.  As she walked out to the stables, she met Daine, the ever-famous Wildmage, who had been her friend ever since the first time they had met when she was eight.

"Kally!  I was just looking for you!  Numair's just told me the good news." 

"What good news, Daine?"  Kally asked, wondering what could be making her normally stable friend go completely bonkers.

"Your engagement to Kaddar, silly!  What else?"  Daine replied, obviously confused.

"Oh.  That.  If you must know, I haven't even accepted the proposal yet.  I don't know if I want to marry Kaddar.  I don't even know anything about him!"  Kally explained.  She didn't know why everyone thought that she would accept Kaddar's proposal.  She knew that Kaddar's proposal wasn't out of any interest in her, but he was hoping to bring peace to his new lands, with her helping him as his Empress.  Daine looked at Kally, more confused than ever.

"Why wouldn't you, Kally?  I mean, there's really no better offer out there, if you know what I mean.  No matter how bad it gets, you'll always have money there, and I'm sure Kaddar won't treat you badly.  That's more than I can say for the Scanrans or Gallans asking for you."

"That's true, Daine, but…" Kally started.  She sighed again, and said,

"Everyone just expects me to marry Kaddar.  Just like everyone expects me to be the perfect princess, and I _don't want to._" 

"Well, Kally, you know that that's the obligation of being the King's daughter." Daine pointed out rationally.  Kally wasn't entirely correct.  Some people thought she'd marry the King of Scanra, or one of the Gallan Princes, just to keep everyone on their toes.  Kally looked at Daine skeptically.  

"Do _you_ think I should marry Kaddar?"  

"It's not for me to say-" Daine started

"_Do you_?" 

"Well, yes, I do.  He was nice to me when we visited Carthak.  He'll make a good husband, I'm sure, to whoever marries him.  You'd be happier than you would be with any of your other options."

"Okay.  Thanks for your input, Daine.  I'll consider it with my other considerations.  Maybe you're right.  After all, it would be for the good of Tortall…"

"But you shouldn't just marry for that, Kally.  You should marry who _you think is best."_

"And who do I think is best, Daine?"

"I'm a Wildmage, Kally, not a mind reader.  Well, I read animal's minds, but-" Daine was confusing herself even more.  This made Kally smile (her first real smile since her parents had told her to make her decision.)  She knew Daine was probably right, and she knew more about Kaddar than she knew about any of her other prospective choices.  

She sighed and sat down.  Why was this her doom?  She wondered.  Why did she have to do this?  The answer was only too clear, she thought, it was because she was a Princess.  Not just any princess, but the daughter of the famous King Jonathon and Queen Thayet of Tortall.  The Princess of the Kingdom with Lady Knights, and Wildmages.  The Princess of the land that's King could call upon any stick or stone to defend it.  The Princess of the Kingdom blessed by the gods.

Her loyalty lay to no one but herself, and her friends.  Yes, she would make an excellent ruler of any country, she would probably be cold and distant to anyone who made her do anything she didn't want to.

Kalasin of Conté was stubborn. She got that quality from her parents.  It would make her a wonderful ruler, but a damnable partner for whoever she chose as her husband.

Of course, with this thought, Kalasin smiled.  Of course!  She could choose whoever was her favorite among her prospects.

She set off at once to find Sir Myles of Olau.  

"Myles!  Myles!" she called out to her honorary great-uncle.  He came running at his "niece's" call.  

"Yes, Kally?"  He asked, pleased to have her visiting him, as she hadn't in awhile.  She walked in and said, without any niceties to complicate matters,

"What do you know of my prospective fiancées?  I'm trying to make an educated decision, you see, and-"

"You don't want another opinion.  Only facts."  Myles finished.  Kally looked at him, slightly abashed, when he continued. "Kally, you're just like Alanna!  Really…"

"And?  Come on, Myles.  Mama and Papa want to know _tonight what my decision is." __So they can make the announcement tomorrow. She thought.  Myles looked at her.  _

"Of course, of course."  He handed her a stack of parchment and said,

"In those, you'll find information on all your choices, personalities, and so forth.  I'm not going to offer my opinion, but I'll stress the fact that you should look into each man's unique qualities."

"Yes, sir."  Kally replied, wondering how he had gotten the things so quickly.  Then she realized that he probably had been expecting this.  "Thanks, Myles!" Kally said, running out of the room.  She ran to her favorite spot, at the top of Baylor's Needle, to read through the sheets.  When the dinner bell rang, she ran to the kitchen, her decision made.

"Mama!  Papa!" Kally called, running into her parent's bedroom.  They looked up at her, shocked, because she hadn't come to talk to them since they had given her her list of choices.  Thayet was the first to recover.

"Yes, Kally?" she asked sweetly, shooting a nasty look at Jon.  He colored, and Kally replied,

"I've made my decision."

"And?" came Jonathon's voice.

"I don't want to marry at all."

"I'm afraid that isn't an option, Kally." Jon replied, looking at his daughter.

"How will you get me to?"

"If you don't make your decision, your mother and I will make it for you."

"Fine.  Make the decision.  It's only my _life!" Kally screamed, running to her room.  She had known that her parents would say this, but it made her feel better to know that they were going to be making the decision, not her.  It had put a lot of weight on her shoulders, and, to be honest, Kally hadn't really wanted to make the choice._

Not that there really was one.

Her mother came in, looking at her.  

"Kally, I know this is difficult, but please, try to understand."

"I understand, Mama, I just don't _want to."  Thayet looked at her eldest daughter, knowing that she would probably be the most difficult, and said,_

"I didn't want to, either, until I met your father.  We fell in love, and now it's your turn."

"But your marriage wasn't arranged.  Mine will be."  Thayet muttered something angrily under her breath, in which the words 'your father' and 'will get what he deserves' were distinguishable.  Kally looked at her mother.

"You know, Kally, we have made our decision.  Or, actually, your father has made his."

"And?"

"You will marry Kaddar.  It is the best for both our kingdoms.  And you."  

Kally nodded, knowing her fate was sealed.

**A/N**- ♪♫ Down by the bay….where the watermelons grow, back to my home, I dare not go… ♪♫  

Oh, sorry, did you rejoin me?  I'm sorry if the first chapter was a little *eh*-y but, I was just typing, and that's what happened.  No, I don't really have much of a clue what was going to happen, and them picking Kaddar was a dead giveaway.  I just couldn't have poor Kalasin make that hideous decision.   Hehe…I just thought of something!  This story isn't really one of my priorities, so it may be awhile before I update, since I also have about two (or three) other stories (not TP, unfortunately I can't seem to write that *boo*) that I am placing over this in the Priority Queue.  Of course, school is *always* somewhere in the top ten, and friends are near that too, but this is in my top, oh, fifteen and a half.  

Again, don't kill me if this sucks, and

**_REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_**

~BluBear~


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